Carlos Alcaraz reached his first Grand Slam final on Friday, beating American Frances Tiafoe 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-1, 6-7 (5) and 6-3 in New York.
The Spaniard could become the number 1 of the ATP, at only 19 years old.
Third seed, Alcaraz put an end to the debate on his fourth match point, handcuffing his rival on a shot from the bottom of the field.
Tiafoe finished the tournament with an 8-0 deadlock record.
He signed 15 aces, but he also committed 52 unforced errors.
The American was also ineffective at the net (29 in 55, for 53%).
Alcaraz have won four of the last five games in the encounter.
Against Ruud, a high stake
Alcaraz’s ultimate rival will be seventh-seeded Casper Ruud.
The stakes will be high: not only a first triumph at a major tournament, but also the top of the ATP rankings.
Ruud earned a 55-shot rally against Karen Khachanov, holding on en route to a 7-6(5), 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 win.
Finalist against Rafael Nadal at Roland-Garros in June, Ruud is a 23-year-old Norwegian who can go from seventh to first in the standings if he triumphs on Sunday at Flushing Meadows.
The four men’s semi-finalists made their debuts in this round in New York. It hadn’t happened since 1881, and it was a certainty then: it was the inaugural edition of what was then known as the American Championships.
Ruud’s game plan worked like a charm for most of the match against Khachanov, a 6-foot-6 Russian with a powerful serve. Seeded number 27, the latter knocked out Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios in five sets in the quarter-finals.
Ruud stood well behind the line in return of serve, then looked to dominate the rallies from the back of the court.
He used flawless footwork to extend rallies and found openings to deliver deep shots, which gave him the chance to finish the points.
He hit a game-winning overhand volley that gave him a 6-3 tiebreaker lead. Moments later came the quintessential point of the match, on Ruud’s third chance to end the set.
Stretching to 75 seconds, the exchange resulted in 19 more strikes than the second-longest rally in New York this year. It all culminated with a backhand from Ruud down the line, which Khachanov sent back into the net.
“Everyone was preventing themselves from making a mistake, knowing the importance of the point,” said Ruud. Towards the end, my heart was beating very fast and my legs were about to shake.
Ruud entered 2022 with a 14-13 major tournament record, including 3-4 in New York. His best performance in the Big Apple had been to make it to the third round, in 2020.
He missed the Australian Open in January after twisting his ankle in training just before the tournament.
Since then, he is 13-2 in Grand Slams this year.